 |
Thursday,
August 29, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
13,668 file papers for Pak poll
Musharraf’s no to US plea on Benazir’s return Developed world to share pledged help with poor
India ratifies Kyoto Protocol |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bin Laden again in
control of Al-Qaida Israel calls off
security talks Sukhoi 30MKIs by 2004 Blast in Nepal market
|
|
13,668 file papers for Pak poll Islamabad, August 28 The increase in nominations was due to the increase in seats for the National and Provincial Assemblies and introduction of seats for women. For National Assembly (NA) seats, 4,020 candidates filed papers. Fiftyone candidates filed papers for two NA seats in Islamabad, 1,924 for 183 NA seats in the Punjab including 35 reserved for women, 1,038 for 75 NA seats in Sindh, including 14 seats for women, 711 for 43 NA seats in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and 244 for 17 NA seats in Balochistan including three seats for women. In all, 52 candidates filed nomination papers for 10 seats for non-Muslim in the National Assembly. For 371 (including 66 women and 8 non-Muslims) Punjab Assembly seats, 4,667 candidates filed nomination papers, while 2,706 filed papers for 168 Sindh Assembly seats including 29 seats for women and nine for non-Muslims, the News reported. In the NWFP, 1,291 filed nomination papers for 124 NWFP Assembly seats including 22 for women and three for non-Muslims, and 984 filed papers for 65 Balochistan Assembly seats, including 11 for women and three for non-Muslim. Meanwhile the Musharraf regime has lifted the ban on political activities, effective from September 1, on the condition that the rallies and processions will stay off the roads, streets and railway stations. The political parties had been repeatedly urging President Pervez Musharraf to lift an almost blanket ban on the political activities in Pakistan. The terms and conditions governing the political activities and campaign released by the government yesterday states, as reported by The News, that rallies and processions on roads, streets, railway stations shall not be allowed strict adherence of the government policy on display and carrying of weapons; political meetings shall only be organised at places/areas specified by the district/provincial governments in order to prevent public inconvenience and to maintain normal public life. No traffic disruption and hindrance shall be allowed; the time, place and other details of the meetings shall be decided by the district/provincial governments in consultation with the political party concerned well in advance and ordinarily no deviation in the agreed programme shall be allowed; and the code of conduct issued by Election Commission of Pakistan shall be strictly adhered to in letter and spirit. Deposed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejoiced today as the Election Commission reportedly accepted the nomination papers of his exiled brother Shahbaz to contest the forthcoming general elections. Nawaz Sharif along with his wife Khulsoom and Shahbaz have filed their nominations to contest for six seats from Lahore for both National and Punjab Provincial Assembly.
UNI |
|
Musharraf’s
no to US plea on Benazir’s return Islamabad, August 28 General Musharraf is reported to have rejected the US request during the course of his meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in Islamabad a few days ago. Mr Armitage had conveyed US President George Bush’s desire that Ms Bhutto should be allowed to return and not be arrested. To this, General Musharraf said the arrest warrant against Ms Bhutto had been issued by the court and it was the only authority which could withdraw it.
UNI |
|
|
Developed world to share pledged help with poor Johannesburg, August 28 “We will definitely impress on member countries that there should be no dilution of agenda 21— which provides for an action plan to sustain the path of development in the 21st century,” Union Minister for Environment and Forests T.R. Baalu said in an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing World-Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) here yesterday. “Agenda 21 is also an agreed body of principles that enables developing countries to move in the direction of achieving goals of sustainable development”, Mr Baalu said adding that instead of the 0.7 per cent of the GNP pledged a decade ago only 0.22 per cent had been forthcoming. Asserting that agenda-21 was non-negotiable and that’s the stand we would be taking,” he said “We won’t make any compromise on the guiding principles” “ ... developing and developed countries have a common goal but America and other developed countries have a higher responsibility to ensure environmental protection and sustainable development of the developing countries. “The developed countries are currently responsible for causing untold damage to the environment through the emission of greenhouse gases, over-consumption and other forms of pollution, Mr Baalu said. “There should be a mechanism to strengthen the global environmental facility so that money will flow to developing countries. We will also be pleading for new and additional resources for the developing countries: for the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) to be strengthened and restructured and for technology transfer.”
PTI |
|
India ratifies Kyoto Protocol Johannesburg, August 28 “India’s accession to the Kyoto Protocol is a reiteration of our commitment to addressing and resolving various issues of global concern in a multilateral manner,” Mr Baalu said here at the ongoing World Summit for Sustainable Development. “I hope that other countries will also soon ratify the Kyoto Protocol so that it could come into force before Cop-8 (Conference of Parties to the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change) which starts in New Delhi on the 23rd of October,” the minister said. The Kyoto Protocol, which commits a country to the principle of multilateralism in addressing and resolving various issues of global concern, was adopted in 1997 and aims at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Under this protocol, the industrialised countries will be required to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2 per cent during the first implementation period — between 2008 and 2012. Industrialised countries that contribute 55 per cent of the emissions are required to ratify the protocol before it is brought into force.
PTI, AFP |
|
Bin Laden again in control of Al-Qaida London, August 28 Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, yesterday said that Al-Qaida associates recently told him that the network had regained confidence after facing intense U.S. bombing and was ready to fight U.S. troops over the long haul. “The Al-Qaida was shattered during the U.S. bombing, so it was difficult for Bin Laden to stay in control. Now, they said he was fully in command again and they had regrouped and were organised again,” Atwan told the agency. “Al-Qaida people say they are relaxed now and they will fight a war of attrition against U.S. soldiers,” added Atwan, who interviewed Bin Laden in 1996 and keeps contacts with his associates and followers. Bin Laden was in good health and ‘’safe’’ and was planning new attacks on the USA, but his whereabouts were not disclosed. The USA launched strikes on Afghanistan last year to flush out the Al-Qaida and hunt down Bin Laden, its prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, and punish the Taliban regime that protected him. But remnants of the Al-Qaida and their Taliban allies have continually frustrated the U.S.-led coalition by hiding in mountains, melting into the local population or fleeing to Pakistan or Iran.
Reuters |
|
|
Israel calls off
security talks Jerusalem, August 28 The Israeli minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, postponed the meeting with Abdel-Razzek Yahya after what Israel called a “grave incident” overnight in which a shell hit a house also used as a kindergarten. No casualties were reported. The talks had been aimed at pushing forward a stalled security deal covering the West Bank city of Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip that is seen as a test case for a broader ceasefire. The agreement was conditional on the Palestinian security forces taking responsibility for curbing militants’ attacks on Israelis.
Reuters |
|
Sukhoi 30MKIs by 2004 Moscow, August 28 “The first aircraft will roll out by the end of 2004 or in early 2005. This time-frame can be shortened if the two sides try,’’ Sukhoi Design Bureau General Director Michail A. Pogosyan told a team of visiting Indian journalists here. Meanwhile, Russia is already working on plans for the joint production of a next generation fighter aircraft. Mr Pogosyan said the proposed new aircraft would use lots of composite material, making it less visible on enemy radar screens and easier to handle for both pilots and technicians.
UNI |
|
|
Blast in Nepal market Kathmandu, August 28 A witness said the blast took place just as shops in the Mall were opening for business.
Reuters |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In video
(
